The book has been digitized by the Gutenberg Project, and there are links to read it in various formats here. The other book mentioned on the postcard, The Birds' Christmas Carol, can also be found on the Project Gutenberg website here.

book cover as shown by Project Gutenberg

Kate Douglas Wiggin (1856–1923) was an American educator and author, best known for the classic children's novel Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm.

Monday, December 24, 2012

Hang up Bright Holly,
Let's All be Jolly,
Drive Dull Care Away.
Through West and East
Make Merrie Feast.
Good Folks 'tis
Christmas Day.

This Christmas Wish
With Love I Send
May Your Joys be many
Your Peace Ne'er End.

Christmas
Righte Merrie may You be to-day.
The New Year bring Prosperity
and may you never along Life's Highway
chance upon Adversity.

These are some unusual Christmas postcards in a bookmark size 2-1/4" X 6". I love the Arts and Crafts style graphic designs on these cards. Bookmark postcards seem like a good idea, but the idea never was popular. Now one can't even send cards this size in the mail. All cards and letters must be at least 3-1/2" high (at least in the United states).

Friday, December 21, 2012

Here are two postcards promoting Fatherless Children of France, which was a popular charity in the United States during and after World War I. I am including the messages on the backs, which I think are interesting. (My transcription of the second one is missing a couple of key words that were written over the printing on the card.)

Dear Liela?
A very Merry Christmas and the happiest of New Years. My Christmas present to you will, I am afraid reach you very late. I had it marked, or rather left it to be marked early in November, and I have not received it yet. I am so disappointed, but you will get it some time. So much love, Annie

Dear Mother,
I
wish you a happy Birthday. I have no Birthday card so this will pass
this time. I will come home Friday morning if I do not get the Flu. If
anything happens will ... to you. Meet me ... at the train ...

The New York Times of December 2, 1917 had an article about another fatherless Children of France postcard, with the suggestion that it could be bought instead of a gift.

An article in the Rochester Sentinel (Indiana) of December 2, 1918, described the fundraising efforts there (source):

SUPPORT FOR 16 FRENCH ORPHANS
The Fatherless Children of France, an American organization, has asked Rochester to support 16 or more French orphans, for a year, at the rate of 10 cents a day. Fort Wayne headquarters has placed A. L. Deniston in charge of the work here. The quota is one child to each 250 persons in the community.

It is the purpose of the society to have 200,000 war orphans adopted in the United States, by December 25th, as a Christmas present to France. Lodges, churches and church societies, factories and individuals will be asked to contribute the $36.50, the money to be paid monthly, quarterly, semi-annually or for the year.

The work, however, is largely that of children for children, and it is urged that wherever possible, pledges or contributions be made thru a child, or in the name of a child. Where responsibility to meet the pledge can be placed with children, it should be done, certain grades or certain Sunday school classes forming teams to reach the desired amount. As soon as this is raised, the name of the French child or children will be forwarded, together with certificates for each orphan and badges for all who aid in raising the funds.

Steps will be taken at once to reach the city's quota, it being felt that more than 16 should be supported here. At least one Rochester organization of women has already acted.

Fatherless Children of France, Inc. had its headquarters in New York. The society was organized in 1916 to provide relief to needy French children whose fathers had been killed in the war. The children remained in their own homes to be brought up by their mothers.

According to a 1918 overview (source), there were 128 American committees on December 31st, 1917 and 180 on May 1st, 1918. The organization was described as follows:

There are at the present time fifty-four French Orphan Societies affiliated with our Society. These societies having applied to and been approved by our Paris Committee, have the privilege of submitting to our Paris Committee lists of needy children eligible for support under our rules. These names are then verified and catalogued by our Paris Committee and sent to the National Executive Committee in New York, which in turn distributes them among our various committees throughout America.

The funds collected for the adoption of these French children by American adoptors are remitted direct by the local American committees to Messrs. J. P. Morgan and Co. in New York; by that firm the money is transmitted through its Paris office to our committee in Paris and by it is distributed to the orphans through the French post office.

When the funds were distributed in France, they were accompanied by letters from the Paris Bureau explaining the friendship of America and instructing the child or its mother to write a letter of acknowledgment to the American benefactor (source).

Some of the letters written by the fatherless children of France to their American godparents were published in a 1917 book that can be viewed online here. This is an example of one of the letters included in the book.

Saturday, December 8, 2012

Above is the folder for a set of maximum cards with stamps and images relating to the history of USSR domestic mail "today" (today meaning 1977 when the stamps were issued). The set has five stamps and subjects, but I only have four of them.

The four subjects I have are:

Index used to accelerate the delivery of the mail

Collection of mail

Automatic sorting of mail

Transport of mail

The cancellation used on the cards translates as "Communications Workers Union Competition."

The fifth stamp in the set (which I don't have) is about mail delivery.

Saturday, December 1, 2012

These are Colorano Silk Maximum Cards with the three pairs of 15-cent letter writing stamps. These stamps were issued on February 25, 1980 in Washington, DC. Jimmy Carter was president at the time, and that looks like him on the silk cachet of the last card. This set of postage stamps were issued during National Letter Writing Week and focused on the importance of letter writing, The themes name three benefits of letter writing: preserving memories, lifting spirits, and shaping opinions.

The picture below gives a better idea of what they looked like when issued. (Source: Postal Service Guide to U.S. Stamps).

Thursday, November 29, 2012

Minnehaha Falls in Minneapolis, Minnesota still is a popular attraction. Judging from the large number of postcards picturing it that were produced in the early years of the twentieth century, it must have been even more popular then. The cards that I find most interesting are the ones showing the rustic bridge, especially the ones with people on the bridge. The postcard above has a black and white printed view circa 1908.

A version of the Minneahaha Falls bridge was even used as a photo studio prop. The next postcard is a real photo from Kregel Photo Parlors of Minneapolis and St. Paul.

There are five locations or The Kregel Photo Parlors listed on the back of this postcard.

The next two postcards show the falls in different seasons. These are my favorite colored views of the rustic bridge and the falls. This is the bridge built about 1893. An earlier bridge was photographed as early as the 1860s.

The next postcard shows the bridge that was built in 1910. This bridge was built of reinforced concrete
and faced with boulders found in the park and vicinity.

My final postcard is circa 1950s. This postcard shows the bridge built in 1940 as part of a Works Progress Administration (WPA) project in the park. This bridge was made of concrete and faced with cut stone.

Saturday, November 24, 2012

The United States Bicentennial was a series of celebrations and observances during the mid-1970s that commemorated the historical events leading up to the creation of the United States as an independent republic. The Bicentennial culminated on Sunday, July 4, 1976, with the 200th anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence.

The maximum card above has an image of a bust of John Paul Jones and the U.S. Bicentennial stamp honoring him. This is one of MANY U.S. Bicentennial stamps, which were issued over a period of years from 1971 to 1983. I couldn't find a list of all the issues. Wikipedia's Bicentennial Series article even seems to neglect the John Paul Jones stamp which was issued on September 23, 1979, saying that there were no Bicentennial stamps between 1978 and 1981.

John Paul Jones (1747-1792) was an American Revolutionary hero who served in the Continental Navy. Born in Scotland, Jones later adopted the United States as his own country. He commanded the Bonhomme Richard and fought against the British during the Revolutionary War. It was during a battle against the British ship Serapis that he made the iconic statement, "I have not yet begun to fight!" Jones died in Paris in 1792. His remains were later returned to the United States and interned in Annapolis, Maryland. (Source: Arago)

The back of the John Paul Jones card has two cancellations related to him and two Bicentennial stamps. The American Militia and Continental Army stamps were issued on July 4, 1975. They are part of block of four designs that show uniforms worn by the Continental Army, Navy, Marines, and American militia during the Revolutionary War. These stamps have the Bicentennial logo.

The U.S. Bicentennial was a big event. I found a Bicentennial cartoon on YouTube that was produced by a U.S. government agency. It is packed full of iconic American symbols presented in a wild and crazy way with 1970s era graphics!

Thursday, November 22, 2012

The Sepia Saturday prompt this week is a photo of two young girls. Since it is Thanksgiving this week, I chose a Thanksgiving postcard with two young girls for my Sepia Saturday post this week.

I have a lot of old Thanksgiving postcards with children. I started collecting them because I was born on Thanksgiving. This year happens to be one of the years when my birthday actually falls on Thanksgiving.